Thursday, February 22
Albuquerque, NM
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
Mountain West Championships
Photo by: Rayna Schmidt
Air Force Set for Mountain West Indoor Championships
2/20/2024 5:33:00 PM | Track and Field
The Air Force track and field team kicks off the championship portion of the indoor season this week, as it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2024 Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day meet, which will be held at the ABQ Convention Center, begins on Thursday, Feb. 22, and continues through Saturday, Feb. 24.
MEET INFORMATION
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in downtown Albuquerque for the ninth-straight indoor season. Single day tickets for Friday and Saturday - $15 for adults, $11 for students – can be purchased online through the Meet Central page at TheMW.com (there is no charge for Thursday). For fans unable to attend the meet, real-time results will be available via Record Timing and the meet will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network (direct links to both are available on the Falcons' schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com). In addition, updates and highlights will be posted to Air Force's social media sites (@af_tfxc) through the week.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The first four events of the men's heptathlon get underway at 10:00 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, Feb. 22, while the women's pentathlon will start one hour later. Friday's competition begins with the conclusion of the heptathlon at 10:00 a.m., while individual events start at 12:30 p.m. (field) and 1:30 p.m. (running). Championship Saturday starts at 9:30 a.m., with the track events beginning at 11:10 a.m. (a complete schedule of events is located on Page 2 of the attached release).
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will feature 11 women's teams (Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming), as well as the men's teams from Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
HISTORY 101
Since the formation of the Mountain West, Air Force has captured five men's team titles (2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023), while its athletes have stood atop the indoor podium 90 times and collected 290 all-conference (top three) selections. Former standout Jamiel Trimble is the Academy's most decorated indoor champion, with five conference titles, eight individual all-MW awards, and the Meet Record in the 200-meter dash (20.67). Other Academy standouts Michael Rhoads (800-meter run: 1:47.82), Ryan Ioanidis (5000-meter run: 14:09.55), Taylor Smith (high jump: 7'2½") and Kyle Pater (pole vault: 18'6½") also hold MW Championship Meet Records.
LOOKING BACK … LOOKING AHEAD
Four Falcons look to defend their conference titles this weekend. Eli Bennett (3000-meter run) and Jalan Rivers (high jump) return to the ABQ Convention Center as the reigning conference champions, while Bennett, Darek Hackett and Alex Patton made up three-fourths of last year's winning distance medley relay. In addition to the quartet of champions, the Falcons' roster includes 10 other MW Indoor medalists.
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOT
Entering Championship Weekend, Air Force holds the league's top mark in the men's shot put, as Texas Tanner holds a league-leading distance of 60'8¾". In addition, the Falcons are listed among the Mountain West's top five an additional 17 times.
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Texas Tanner is ranked among the nation's Top 25 in the latest TFRRS standings (Feb. 19), listed at No. 24 for his Academy Record distance of 60'8¾" in the shot put at the Potts Invitational. Two other Falcons – Caiden Macktinger (No. 28 in the pole vault, 17'7" at the Air Force Holiday Opener) and Luke Combs (No. 30 in the 5000-meter run, 13:32.08 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener) – are ranked among the top 30, while Braeden Holcombe is listed 31st nationally in the heptathlon with a 5471-point total from the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined time of 55:48.08, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Luke Combs, Eli Bennett, Jason Renze and Jett Knight are ranked 14th in the Feb. 19 edition of the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings – which are determined by the cumulative season-best marks from a team's top-four athletes in the national descending order list. The men currently have three event groups listed in the Top 20, as the high jump (8.10m from Jalan Rivers Devin Jordan, Philip Hundl, Braeden Holcombe) and weight throw (74.33m from Texas Tanner, Gerrit Tamminga, Cooper Stroka, Massimo Grisotto) are ranked 16th and 19th, respectively.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The indoor season officially comes to a close on March 8-9, when the nation's top 16 athletes from each event converge on Boston for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
MEET INFORMATION
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in downtown Albuquerque for the ninth-straight indoor season. Single day tickets for Friday and Saturday - $15 for adults, $11 for students – can be purchased online through the Meet Central page at TheMW.com (there is no charge for Thursday). For fans unable to attend the meet, real-time results will be available via Record Timing and the meet will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network (direct links to both are available on the Falcons' schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com). In addition, updates and highlights will be posted to Air Force's social media sites (@af_tfxc) through the week.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The first four events of the men's heptathlon get underway at 10:00 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, Feb. 22, while the women's pentathlon will start one hour later. Friday's competition begins with the conclusion of the heptathlon at 10:00 a.m., while individual events start at 12:30 p.m. (field) and 1:30 p.m. (running). Championship Saturday starts at 9:30 a.m., with the track events beginning at 11:10 a.m. (a complete schedule of events is located on Page 2 of the attached release).
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships will feature 11 women's teams (Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming), as well as the men's teams from Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
HISTORY 101
Since the formation of the Mountain West, Air Force has captured five men's team titles (2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023), while its athletes have stood atop the indoor podium 90 times and collected 290 all-conference (top three) selections. Former standout Jamiel Trimble is the Academy's most decorated indoor champion, with five conference titles, eight individual all-MW awards, and the Meet Record in the 200-meter dash (20.67). Other Academy standouts Michael Rhoads (800-meter run: 1:47.82), Ryan Ioanidis (5000-meter run: 14:09.55), Taylor Smith (high jump: 7'2½") and Kyle Pater (pole vault: 18'6½") also hold MW Championship Meet Records.
LOOKING BACK … LOOKING AHEAD
Four Falcons look to defend their conference titles this weekend. Eli Bennett (3000-meter run) and Jalan Rivers (high jump) return to the ABQ Convention Center as the reigning conference champions, while Bennett, Darek Hackett and Alex Patton made up three-fourths of last year's winning distance medley relay. In addition to the quartet of champions, the Falcons' roster includes 10 other MW Indoor medalists.
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOT
Entering Championship Weekend, Air Force holds the league's top mark in the men's shot put, as Texas Tanner holds a league-leading distance of 60'8¾". In addition, the Falcons are listed among the Mountain West's top five an additional 17 times.
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Texas Tanner is ranked among the nation's Top 25 in the latest TFRRS standings (Feb. 19), listed at No. 24 for his Academy Record distance of 60'8¾" in the shot put at the Potts Invitational. Two other Falcons – Caiden Macktinger (No. 28 in the pole vault, 17'7" at the Air Force Holiday Opener) and Luke Combs (No. 30 in the 5000-meter run, 13:32.08 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener) – are ranked among the top 30, while Braeden Holcombe is listed 31st nationally in the heptathlon with a 5471-point total from the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
SQUAD GOALS
With a combined time of 55:48.08, the men's 5000-meter quartet of Luke Combs, Eli Bennett, Jason Renze and Jett Knight are ranked 14th in the Feb. 19 edition of the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings – which are determined by the cumulative season-best marks from a team's top-four athletes in the national descending order list. The men currently have three event groups listed in the Top 20, as the high jump (8.10m from Jalan Rivers Devin Jordan, Philip Hundl, Braeden Holcombe) and weight throw (74.33m from Texas Tanner, Gerrit Tamminga, Cooper Stroka, Massimo Grisotto) are ranked 16th and 19th, respectively.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The indoor season officially comes to a close on March 8-9, when the nation's top 16 athletes from each event converge on Boston for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
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